The Functions of Clauses

The javascript that runs this quiz has been known to crash (freeze up) Communicator 4.0's running on Dell PCs. If you're using that configuration, you might consider skipping this quiz.

Instructions: From among the numbered kinds of clauses listed in the side frames, choose the one you think describes the clause in bold in the following sentences. Simply type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. You can see examples of the different kinds of clauses by clicking on the various numbers in the frames.

After typing each choice, check the answer by clicking the answer button. This is important; otherwise, the computer won't be able to properly score the quiz when you've finished making your selections.

1. Although Americans love to travel to foreign countries, they seldom learn to speak other languages.

2. My sister, who teaches Spanish and Italian in New York, says that she had more students twenty years ago.

3. She wrote a book about what she has learned over the years.

4. What she worries about is the general decline in American language-learning skills.

5. She believes that American families used to take more pride in learning second languages.

6. The internet, which has become such a global phenomenon, has contributed to the predominance of English.

7. My sister's conviction is that American students could use the internet to help them learn other languages.

8. English is the dominant language on the internet because the American computer industry dominates the rest of the world.

9. When non-Americans get on the internet, they frequently are trying to improve their English.

10. What computers have meant to language learning has surprised just about everyone in the academic world.

This test is based on Javascript developed by Michael Vallance, who generously gives his permission for us to use that script. Vallance has several interesting grammar quizzes at his Internet Aided Language Learning (INTALL), which we highly recommend.